# Code Interpreter

> Test and prototype code in a sandboxed environment. Use for debugging, verifying logic, or installing packages.

- Skill: `aws-samples/code-interpreter` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add aws-samples/code-interpreter`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/aws-samples/code-interpreter/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: aws-samples (https://skillmd.com/u/aws-samples)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/aws-samples/code-interpreter

---


# Code Interpreter

A general-purpose code execution environment powered by AWS Bedrock AgentCore Code Interpreter. Run code, execute shell commands, and manage files in a secure sandbox.

## Available Tools

- **execute_code(code, language, output_filename)**: Execute Python, JavaScript, or TypeScript code.
- **execute_command(command)**: Execute shell commands.
- **file_operations(operation, paths, content)**: Read, write, list, or remove files in the mounted session workspace.

## Tool Parameters

### execute_code

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `code` | string | Yes | | Code to execute. Use `print()` for text output. |
| `language` | string | No | `"python"` | `"python"`, `"javascript"`, or `"typescript"` |
| `output_filename` | string | No | `""` | File to publish as a durable session file. Code must save a file with this exact name. |

### execute_command

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `command` | string | Yes | Shell command to execute (e.g., `"ls -la"`, `"pip install requests"`). |

### file_operations

| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
| `operation` | string | Yes | `"read"`, `"write"`, `"list"`, or `"remove"` |
| `paths` | list | For read/list/remove | File paths. read: `["file.txt"]`, list: `["."]`, remove: `["old.txt"]` |
| `content` | list | For write | Entries with `path` and `text`: `[{"path": "out.txt", "text": "hello"}]` |

## tool_input Examples

### execute_code — text output

```json
{
  "code": "import pandas as pd\ndf = pd.DataFrame({'A': [1,2,3], 'B': [4,5,6]})\nprint(df.describe())",
  "language": "python"
}
```

### execute_code — generate chart

```json
{
  "code": "import matplotlib\nmatplotlib.use('Agg')\nimport matplotlib.pyplot as plt\nimport numpy as np\nx = np.linspace(0, 10, 100)\nplt.figure(figsize=(10,6))\nplt.plot(x, np.sin(x))\nplt.title('Sine Wave')\nplt.savefig('sine.png', dpi=300, bbox_inches='tight')\nprint('Done')",
  "language": "python",
  "output_filename": "sine.png"
}
```

### execute_command — install a package

```json
{
  "command": "pip install yfinance"
}
```

### execute_command — check environment

```json
{
  "command": "python --version && pip list | head -20"
}
```

### file_operations — write a file

```json
{
  "operation": "write",
  "content": [{"path": "config.json", "text": "{\"key\": \"value\"}"}]
}
```

### file_operations — list files

```json
{
  "operation": "list",
  "paths": ["."]
}
```

### file_operations — read a file

```json
{
  "operation": "read",
  "paths": ["output.csv"]
}
```

## When to Use This Skill

Use code-interpreter as a **sandbox for testing and prototyping code**.
For production tasks (creating documents, charts, presentations), prefer specialized skills.

**Do NOT use for:**
- Formatting or displaying code examples (respond directly with markdown code blocks)
- Explaining code or algorithms (respond directly with text)
- Simple calculations you can do mentally (just provide the answer)
- Any task that doesn't require actual code execution

| Task | Recommended Skill | Notes |
|------|-------------------|-------|
| Create charts/diagrams | **visual-design** | Use this first for production charts |
| Create Word documents | **word-documents** | Has template support and styling |
| Create Excel spreadsheets | **excel-spreadsheets** | Has formatting pipeline and validation |
| Create PowerPoint | **powerpoint-presentations** | Has layout system and design patterns |
| **Test code snippets** | **code-interpreter** | Debug, verify logic, check output |
| **Prototype algorithms** | **code-interpreter** | Experiment before implementing |
| **Install/test packages** | **code-interpreter** | Check compatibility, test APIs |
| Debug code logic | code-interpreter | Isolate and test specific functions |
| Verify calculations | code-interpreter | Quick math or data checks |

## Code Interpreter vs Code Agent

| | Code Interpreter | Code Agent |
|---|---|---|
| **Nature** | Sandboxed execution environment | Autonomous agent (Claude Code) |
| **Best for** | Quick scripts, data analysis, prototyping | Multi-file projects, refactoring, test suites |
| **File persistence** | Files in `/mnt/workspace` persist across interpreter restarts | All files auto-synced to S3 |
| **Session state** | Variables persist within one interpreter session; workspace files persist for the chat session | Files + conversation persist across sessions |
| **Autonomy** | You write the code | Agent plans, writes, runs, and iterates |
| **Use when** | You need to run a specific piece of code | You need an engineer to solve a problem end-to-end |

## Workspace Integration

The chat session has a persistent filesystem mounted at `/mnt/workspace`.
Relative file paths used by Code Interpreter tools resolve inside this directory.
Files written there are scratch files and remain available when the interpreter
session is restarted. They are not user-downloadable artifacts unless
`output_filename` is supplied.

The mount is required. If it cannot be configured or attached, Code Interpreter
returns an error instead of starting an isolated non-persistent session.

**Create persistent files directly:**

```json
{
  "tool": "execute_code",
  "code": "from pathlib import Path\nPath('/mnt/workspace/results.json').write_text('{\"ok\": true}')"
}
```

Use `output_filename` whenever a generated file must appear in Generated Files
or be downloadable by the user. The tool publishes and verifies that file before
returning success. Do not create Markdown links to `/mnt/workspace` or describe
raw workspace paths as download links; the application renders the file action.

**Uploaded files:**

Files uploaded by the user are available in the mounted workspace without
manual loading or base64 transfer under `/mnt/workspace/inputs`. JSON, JSONL,
and NDJSON attachments may be represented by a bounded text excerpt in the
conversation; use the mounted file when the full dataset is needed.

Use `file_operations` for scratch-file inspection. Published files are surfaced
by the application and should be referenced by their displayed filename.

## Environment

- **Languages:** Python (recommended, 200+ libraries), JavaScript, TypeScript
- **Shell:** Full shell access via `execute_command`
- **File system:** `/mnt/workspace` persists across Code Interpreter restarts for the chat session
- **Session state:** Variables persist within one interpreter session; files persist in the mounted workspace
- **Network:** Internet access available (can use `requests`, `urllib`, `curl`)

## Supported Languages

- **Python** (recommended) — 200+ pre-installed libraries covering data science, ML, visualization, file processing
- **JavaScript** — Node.js runtime, useful for JSON manipulation, async operations
- **TypeScript** — TypeScript runtime with type checking

## Pre-installed Python Libraries

### Data Analysis & Visualization

| Library | Common Use |
|---------|------------|
| `pandas` | DataFrames, CSV/Excel I/O, groupby, pivot |
| `numpy` | Arrays, linear algebra, random, statistics |
| `matplotlib` | Line, bar, scatter, histogram, subplots |
| `plotly` | Interactive charts, 3D plots |
| `bokeh` | Interactive visualization |
| `scipy` | Optimization, interpolation, signal processing |
| `statsmodels` | Regression, time series, hypothesis tests |
| `sympy` | Algebra, calculus, equation solving |

### Machine Learning & AI

| Library | Common Use |
|---------|------------|
| `scikit-learn` | Classification, regression, clustering, pipelines |
| `torch` / `torchvision` / `torchaudio` | Deep learning, computer vision, audio |
| `xgboost` | High-performance gradient boosting |
| `spacy` / `nltk` / `textblob` | NLP, tokenization, NER, sentiment |
| `scikit-image` | Image processing, filters, segmentation |

### Mathematical & Optimization

| Library | Common Use |
|---------|------------|
| `cvxpy` | Convex optimization, portfolio optimization |
| `ortools` | Scheduling, routing, constraint programming |
| `pulp` | Linear programming |
| `z3-solver` | SAT solving, formal verification |
| `networkx` / `igraph` | Graph algorithms, network analysis |

### File Processing & Documents

| Library | Common Use |
|---------|------------|
| `openpyxl` / `xlrd` / `XlsxWriter` | Excel read/write with formatting |
| `python-docx` | Word document creation/modification |
| `python-pptx` | PowerPoint creation/modification |
| `PyPDF2` / `pdfplumber` / `reportlab` | PDF read/write/generate |
| `lxml` / `beautifulsoup4` | XML/HTML parsing |
| `markitdown` | Convert various formats to Markdown |

### Image & Media

| Library | Common Use |
|---------|------------|
| `pillow` (PIL) | Image resize, crop, filter, conversion |
| `opencv-python` (cv2) | Computer vision, feature detection |
| `imageio` / `moviepy` | Image/video I/O and editing |
| `pydub` | Audio manipulation |
| `svgwrite` / `Wand` | SVG creation, ImageMagick |

### Data Storage & Formats

| Library | Common Use |
|---------|------------|
| `duckdb` | SQL queries on DataFrames and files |
| `SQLAlchemy` | SQL ORM and database abstraction |
| `pyarrow` | Parquet and Arrow format processing |
| `orjson` / `ujson` / `PyYAML` | Fast JSON/YAML parsing |

### Web & API

| Library | Common Use |
|---------|------------|
| `requests` / `httpx` | HTTP requests, API calls |
| `beautifulsoup4` | Web scraping |
| `fastapi` / `Flask` / `Django` | Web frameworks |

### Utilities

| Library | Common Use |
|---------|------------|
| `pydantic` | Data validation, schema definition |
| `Faker` | Test data generation |
| `rich` | Pretty printing, tables |
| `cryptography` | Encryption, hashing |
| `qrcode` | QR code generation |
| `boto3` | AWS SDK |

> For the full list of 200+ libraries with versions, run: `execute_command(command="pip list")`

## Usage Patterns

### Pattern 1: Data Analysis

```python
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np

df = pd.DataFrame({
    'date': pd.date_range('2024-01-01', periods=100),
    'revenue': np.random.normal(1000, 200, 100),
    'costs': np.random.normal(700, 150, 100),
})
df['profit'] = df['revenue'] - df['costs']

print("=== Summary Statistics ===")
print(df.describe())
print(f"\nTotal Profit: ${df['profit'].sum():,.2f}")
print(f"Profit Margin: {df['profit'].mean() / df['revenue'].mean() * 100:.1f}%")
```

### Pattern 2: Visualization (with output_filename)

```python
import matplotlib
matplotlib.use('Agg')
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

fig, axes = plt.subplots(2, 2, figsize=(14, 10))

categories = ['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4']
values = [120, 150, 180, 210]
axes[0,0].bar(categories, values, color='#2196F3')
axes[0,0].set_title('Quarterly Revenue')

x = np.linspace(0, 10, 50)
axes[0,1].plot(x, np.sin(x), 'b-', linewidth=2)
axes[0,1].set_title('Trend')

sizes = [35, 30, 20, 15]
axes[1,0].pie(sizes, labels=['A','B','C','D'], autopct='%1.1f%%')
axes[1,0].set_title('Market Share')

x = np.random.normal(50, 10, 200)
y = x * 1.5 + np.random.normal(0, 15, 200)
axes[1,1].scatter(x, y, alpha=0.5, c='#FF5722')
axes[1,1].set_title('Correlation')

plt.tight_layout()
plt.savefig('dashboard.png', dpi=300, bbox_inches='tight')
print('Dashboard saved')
```

### Pattern 3: Machine Learning

```python
from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split
from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestClassifier
from sklearn.metrics import classification_report
from sklearn.datasets import load_iris

iris = load_iris()
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(
    iris.data, iris.target, test_size=0.3, random_state=42
)

model = RandomForestClassifier(n_estimators=100, random_state=42)
model.fit(X_train, y_train)
y_pred = model.predict(X_test)

print(classification_report(y_test, y_pred, target_names=iris.target_names))
```

### Pattern 4: SQL with DuckDB

```python
import duckdb
import pandas as pd

orders = pd.DataFrame({
    'order_id': range(1, 101),
    'customer': [f'Customer_{i%20}' for i in range(100)],
    'amount': [round(50 + i * 3.5, 2) for i in range(100)],
})

result = duckdb.sql("""
    SELECT customer, COUNT(*) as cnt, ROUND(SUM(amount), 2) as total
    FROM orders GROUP BY customer
    HAVING COUNT(*) >= 3 ORDER BY total DESC LIMIT 10
""").df()
print(result.to_string(index=False))
```

### Pattern 5: Fetch Data from Web

```python
import requests
import pandas as pd

response = requests.get("https://api.example.com/data")
data = response.json()
df = pd.DataFrame(data)
print(df.head())
```

### Pattern 6: Multi-step Workflow (session state persists)

```
Call 1: execute_code → load and clean data, store in variable `df`
Call 2: execute_code → analyze `df`, generate chart, save as PNG
Call 3: execute_code → export results to CSV
Call 4: file_operations(operation="read") → download the CSV
```

Variables (`df`) and files persist across calls in the same session.

## Important Rules

1. **`matplotlib.use('Agg')` before `import matplotlib.pyplot`** — sandbox has no display.
2. **Use `print()` for text output** — stdout is how results are returned.
3. **`output_filename` must match exactly** — the filename in `plt.savefig()` or `wb.save()` must match the `output_filename` parameter.
4. **Use `execute_command` for shell tasks** — `ls`, `pip install`, `curl`, etc.
5. **Use `file_operations` for file management** — read/write/list/remove files explicitly.
6. **Session state persists** — variables and files remain across calls. Use this for multi-step workflows.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- Forgetting `matplotlib.use('Agg')` before `import matplotlib.pyplot as plt`
- Using `plt.show()` instead of `plt.savefig()` — there is no display
- Typo in `output_filename` — must match the file saved by the code exactly
- Using `execute_code` for shell tasks — use `execute_command` instead
- Writing binary files via `file_operations` — use `execute_code` to generate binary files, then download with `output_filename`